A Blue Christmas
by PalindromeIsntOne
Summary: Marth plans to tell Ike he's gay at the upcoming Christmas party, but worries about spoiling their friendship.
1. Chapter 1

**Merry Christmas ADashOfInsanity and all! Enjoy :)

* * *

**

Everything was planned but he still didn't know if he could go through with it yet. How sure was he? And how sure was sure enough? Marth turned and paced back to the other end of his bedroom, biting his lip. And what about Ike? Did he really know Ike as well as he thought he did? How would Ike receive him? Oh, but going on like this was impossible. If he didn't tell Ike at the Christmas party, calmly as he had planned, it might eventually spill over in a way that could ruin their relationship forever. He turned and paced back the other way. 3 days until Christmas. He had time to sleep on it and think about it. Which was in a way reassuring, but another part of him wished that it was tomorrow just so that he could have it over and done with, and rid himself of this sick, nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach. With a sudden move he crossed to the window, flinging it open to watch the snow fall and let the cold distract him from his thoughts. Why should this be so hard? Being gay wasn't a crime.

His bedroom clock ticked loudly behind him. The house was empty aside from him; everyone else had gone out for last minute Christmas shopping. But he wouldn't have to be alone for long – Roy would be over soon to pick him up for a snowball fight he'd been recruited into. Sure enough, a few minutes later the doorbell rang. Marth ran down to answer it.

"Hey Marth!"

"Hi Roy."

"Let me in then."

Marth stepped back and Roy moved into the hallway, closing the front door behind him.

"Your parents were agreed, then?"

"Yeah."

"Great. You need to get out more." Roy adjusted his coat as Marth put on his boots.

"Where are we going?"

"Chaser's Way, down by the field," Roy informed him. "Snow's easily over your ankles down there, so plenty of ammo. Bit of hedge around the edges too to dodge behind and make a proper fight of it."

"Who else is coming?"

"Mario, Luigi, Zelda, Peach, Link and Ike."

Marth felt his stomach lurch at the last name. He should have expected it – they were all in the same group of friends after all. Mentally he slapped himself. It was only going to be a massive snowball fight. He would hardly have to talk to the guy. Oh but he _wanted_ to talk to him, Ike was his best friend…Argh! _See,_ he told himself, _This is why you have to tell him, get this stupid thing out the way so you can have a normal friendship without feeling nervous or self-conscious around him._

"Come on, hurry up."

"Ok ok, just let me get my gloves."

Roy sighed. But a few seconds later Marth was ready and bracing himself he joined Roy as the front door opened and they stepped out into the cold.

The snow crunched satisfyingly beneath his feet as they headed towards Chaser's Way. It was still falling as they progressed, collecting on windowsills and insulating flowerpots. Roy walked in zigzags, making as many footprints as possible, and Marth laughed as he almost fell off the curb during a sort of improvised dance.

The field appeared almost out of nowhere. A footpath turned away from the main road, passing round the backs of terraced houses before suddenly emerging there, leaving Marth suddenly dwarfed by acres of pure snow. There were many groups of different ages there, but an errant snowball soon let them know which group was theirs.

"Roy! Quick!" Link ran up to them both, seizing Roy by the arm and tugging him away urgently.

"We need your help – I got lugged with the girls and we're being slaughtered by Mario's lot."

Roy was dragged away leaving Marth standing confused as he got caught in the crossfire of yet more snowballs. He put his arms over his head protectively and closed his eyes, trying to distinguish from the different shouts who was firing from where, but after a few moments he felt no further impacts and opened his eyes to see what had happened.

"Marth, you're standing right in the middle of it. Move!"

Ike. Marth smiled at him, briefly forgetting everything. Ike was holding his coat open and had his back to the worst of the attack, shielding them both. Ike gestured to the right with an inclination of his head.

"Our side's over there. Move!"

Marth yelped as a snowball finally hit him and he quickly did as Ike had instructed.

"Who's winning?" he asked as they dived for cover behind a low wall of snow Luigi and Mario had built up earlier.

"We are," Ike replied with a grin. "Mario's speed is ridiculous, he's just throwing them constantly. We'd better watch out though, Roy's on their side now."

They began to make snowballs in earnest, throwing them as hard as they could at any of the opposing team they could see. Ike's throws had more impact but Marth was generally more accurate. However, despite their efforts, soon it was felt that the odds between the two teams were evening. The girls had hit their stride. Hair ruined, make-up smudged, they no longer cared to save the rest of their appearance from further snow damage and began to fight in earnest. Marth quickly tired from running in the thick snow and stopped for a brief rest, sitting down behind what remained of the since-sabotaged snow wall to catch his breath. Ike slid down beside him.

"Come on, you have to keep going."

Marth took a deep breath, trying to get some oxygen back to his muscles.

"Oi! You two, stop lazing!" Mario bellowed. On the other team, a war cry went up.

"CHARGE!" Roy led the opposition as they advanced, turning the snowball fight into a snow wrestle as the two sides collided.

"Marth, I think you sh–" Ike began.

"Got you!" Zelda made a flying leap at Ike and tried to push him down into the snow. Marth was moving to assist him when he found himself suddenly being tackled by a laughing Peach. The snow quickly found any gaps in his clothing as he fell to the ground, and the sudden shocks of cold made him squeal girlishly.

"Stop!" Marth protested as some snow crept down his neck. He shuddered.

"Marth, you wuss. It's only snow."

The others had almost finished tussling and after a while they broke apart.

"Who screamed?" Link asked.

"Marth," Peach told him. "Got some snow on him."

Link laughed. "Was that it? Really?" He grabbed a handful of snow and walked towards Marth slowly until he was about a metre away, and then with a sudden lunge he pulled out Marth's collar and pushed the snow down his top. Marth shrieked. Link laughed.

"Oh my god, did your voice never break or something?"

"Gotcha!" Zelda pounced at Marth from behind, pushing even more snow down his top. Marth yelped again, flinging his arms out randomly in self-defence, and everyone burst into even louder giggles.

"Everyone get Marth!" Roy called, and to Marth's dismay they moved in unison towards him, grabbing some snow as they advanced.

"AND DIVE!"

Marth suddenly found himself swamped by flailing arms and splatters of snow. He gave a loud screech and held the note to an increasingly higher pitch as more and more snowballs assaulted him – down his top, trousers, and even up his sleeves. Still the snow kept coming. He felt some being rubbed into his hair and the build up of cold made him shiver uncontrollably.

"Stop…"

The snow kept coming.

"Stop, please…"

A handful of snow found its way into his mouth and he gagged and choked as the snow crept down his throat.

"Leave him guys," he heard Ike say over the racket. But still more snow found its way into his clothes. The cold seemed to hurt in the dull way of prodding bruises. His shivers became more violent and he struggled where he was pinned on the ground, trying to break free.

"Guys, he's had enough."

Their collective weight on top of him was making it hard to breathe. He struggled for the last time, his energy giving out. To his relief some of the pressure on his chest was relieved – but it was through no efforts of his own. Ike was tackling them one by one, pushing them aside to grant Marth more freedom.

"Leave him alone!"

"Ike, what the hell?"

"You're suffocating him."

"Don't be so serious – Oi!"

Link was the last one left, still trying to pack more snow against Marth's neck and stomach.

"Stop, please stop," Marth pleaded.

"Oh chill, give him a break," Roy added.

"Marth, you're pathetic," Link teased, throwing more snow over his face relentlessly.

"Leave him!" Ike grabbed Link and began to wrestle him away, half playfully, half more seriously. After several blows Link pushed him away harshly and he lost his balance, falling on top of Marth.

"Spoilsport."

"I'm sorry." Ike tried to stand but his foot slipped in the snow and he only succeeded in falling on Marth more fully. It seemed to Marth that Ike hesitated slightly longer than was necessary before moving for the second time, and he felt a hot flush flow over his kin, melting the snow beneath his clothes. Then Ike stood and suddenly the contact was gone, leaving him feeling embarrassed and exposed. He stood quickly, brushing the worst of the snow from his coat.

"You alright?" Ike asked.

"Yes, fine. Thank you." His teeth chattered as he spoke.

"Who says we go get something to eat?" Roy suggested. A small cheer went up around him.

"There's a pizza place not far from here. I can go with Marth and get a couple of large ones and bring them back here. You guys can find somewhere to sit…or something," Ike proposed.

"Alright. Go and get a couple of Supremes and then we can just pick off whatever bits we don't like."

Ike nodded, then with a short wave walked away, Marth following shortly behind him.

"Thanks," he repeated after a while.

"It's okay. I just didn't want you to get hypothermia or anything." Ike nudged him with an elbow. "Are you sure you're alright? You're shivering a bit."

Marth could feel his muscles trembling with the cold even as he walked, but he didn't want to complain. They reached the shop and went inside. Marth waited whilst Ike ordered, and found for some inexplicable reason that he shivered more violently indoors than out in the snow. When Ike turned away from the counter and saw him his expression became one of concern.

"Marth, you're shaking so much you look like you're about to fall over."

Marth's teeth were chattering too much for him to reply.

"You should take that coat off, it's soaked."

Marth did as Ike suggested and a small shower of snow fell down around him as what remained from his snow-ambush dropped away. Yet more snow had soaked into his jumper and he peeled that off as well so that he was down to his t-shirt. That was wet in places too, but he left it on.

"I think Link got a bit carried away," Ike commented.

"Y-y-yeah."

"Here." Ike took off his gloves and drew closer to Marth, reaching out and rubbing his hands briskly over Marth's upper arms to warm them. The gentle friction was like electricity running over Marth's skin, each movement searing itself into his sensory memory. Fearful of blushing he pulled away but Ike's touch left a trail of sensation on his arms, slowly fading like footprints being covered by falling snow.

"Two large Supremes for Ike?"

"Yes." Ike, having feigned nonchalance at Marth's withdrawal, collected the pizzas from the counter and headed back out into the snow. Marth, after a moment's reluctance, followed him.

"I think everyone will be glad to see these," Ike remarked, passing one of the pizzas over to Marth.

"Yes," Marth agreed, feeling foolish. He could say it now, he thought to himself. They were both alone – he could have it done in three words. _Ike, I'm gay._ It would take a few seconds to say at most. He could speak now before they reached the others and he lost the opportunity. His lips parted.

"Do you have a favourite topping?" Ike asked.

Marth's heart thudded in his chest. It wasn't as simple as saying the words, that was the problem. He was such close friends with Ike that Ike might easily think that Marth's more friendly gestures in the past had been designed to capture his interest, done out of a crush. But it wasn't like that. Although he _did_ fancy Ike their intimacy had developed from a deep friendship about all, something he didn't want to spoil. Another thing to consider was that his feelings for Ike were becoming increasingly impossible to hide. What if someone else suspected and started rumours and it got round to Ike _that_ way? Marth didn't want that sort of awkwardness, he needed this to be on his own terms. But to tell him now…

"Marth?"

"Um…" Marth did a quick mental backtrack. "Pepperoni, I think."

Oh, damn it all. He would tell him at the Christmas party, like he had originally planned.

The field came back into sight; the moment was gone. Marth took a deep breath in, the smell of pizza making his stomach rumble.

"Pizza everyone!" Ike called.

They all flocked together at the edge of the field by a fallen tree, grabbing their slice of pizza contentedly. A mixture of unwanted topping dropped into the snow at irregular intervals. Marth ate quickly, watching as some younger children made a snowman. He smiled, mentally making a note to try that later. It had been ages since he'd made a snowman.

When he finally got home it was nearly evening. His parents and sister had already come back with the Christmas shopping and his mother and sister were especially eager to present their findings to him, seeking his approval. He gave them as many compliments and reassurances as he could manage, then retreated to his bedroom for some peace and quiet. He had already exchanged presents with all his friends. But as he lay there, the occasional exclamation drifting up from downstairs, it suddenly occurred to him that he'd forgotten to get presents for his family.

"Damn!"

He grabbed a pen and quickly wrote a reminder in the notebook he kept on his bedside table. Oh dear. He'd probably have to sneak out and get around to that first thing tomorrow – he'd been too preoccupied with Ike, that was the problem. Oh, Ike. He wanted Ike to be the first one to know he was gay because Ike deserved that, as his dearest and closest friend. Unfortunately, that was half the problem.


	2. Chapter 2

Shopping had never been his forte but it was too short notice to enlist anyone's help. Marth wandered through the department store slowly, already lost although he'd only just started. In his mind he tried to imagine what his mother might like, then his sister, then his father. Oh, this would be so much easier if he could just buy them all socks. But he felt obliged to at least _try_ and buy them something more original.

Women's section first. Red seemed to be the main theme, undoubtedly something to do with the fact it was Christmas. Hmmm, a dressing gown? No, his mother already had a nice one of those from her friend last year. Above him, radiating from all the speakers, old and new Christmas songs, sickly sweet and cringe-worthy. He continued to browse.

"Can I help you?" Oh good, an assistant. Evidently someone else could tell he was lost too.

"Yes, I'm looking for last minute presents for my family."

"We have special Christmas sales for him and her just along and to the left. The toy section's one floor up if you're shopping for younger children and we have a special sale on all Christmas-themed decorations on the ground floor, not to mention…" She continued to drone on and Marth began to regret asking. He felt his attention drifting away. His gaze trailed vacantly over the items he could see over her shoulder. Then suddenly his eyes refocused.

"Ike!" he squeaked.

"Pardon?"

_Why did he have to be here?_ Just a little way behind the assistant Ike was browsing through the rails of pyjamas, probably looking for a present himself. Any moment he might look up and see Marth. Automatically Marth glanced around for somewhere to hide, and seeing a stack of Special Offer coffee-makers just to his left he dived behind it. The shop assistant looked bewildered and began to turn away, just as the top of the stack began to wobble precariously.

"No, no…" Marth willed the stack to stay upright, he hadn't brushed against it _that_ hard… But with an inevitably loud crash the stack toppled and fell, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. Including Ike.

"Marth?"

"I-I-I…was…."

"Shopping?" Ike finished, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes." He could feel himself blushing and willed the redness away, feeling like an idiot. With Ike's help he rebuilt the stack of coffee-makers.

"Are you going to get one?" Ike asked.

"Huh?"

"A coffee-maker."

"Oh." He hadn't thought about that. But actually, his father might like it. And it would save him an awkward explanation as to why he knocked them over.

"Yes," he said, picking one up.

"One present down…" Ike smiled at him.

"Two more to go," Marth supplied, sighing.

"Who for?"

"My mum and sister."

"I didn't expect to see you here," Ike admitted.

"Neither did I," Marth muttered. They began to wander aimlessly through the store together, pretending to browse at intervals.

"Who are you shopping for?" Marth asked.

"Aunts and uncles. My parents are at home putting up decorations, they've sent me out on errand."

"Are they coming over for Christmas – your aunts and uncles?"

"Yes, they're actually meant to turn up this evening. Mum panicked when she realised we'd forgotten presents. What about you?"

"Some of my parents' friends are coming over tomorrow, but that's it for me I think."

Ike nodded, then his face lit up. He pointed. "Hey, check out those Christmas outfits."

There were a row of them, mainly reindeer and elf outfits with a single Santa Claus costume at the end.

"Bet all the rest were used up by dads with children under seven," Ike joked. "Go on, I dare you to try it."

"Why?"

"I think you'd make a lovely Santa."

_Marth, that's not even a compliment. Don't blush, damnit._

"Plus, I'm bored of shopping," Ike added. "Come on. I'll try the reindeer one."

They headed to the changing rooms and Marth began to put on the Santa outfit. He could tell immediately that it was far too big for him, and as he tried the hat on it kept slipping down over his eyes. Still he persevered with the top and finally the trousers. The zip stuck as he tried to do it up. He tried again, annoyed, but the zip wouldn't budge. Up _or_ down. The idea of asking Ike to help him passed briefly through his mind, but the thought of having Ike assist him in such a situation…

"Marth? Are you done?"

"Y-yes – one second…" He struggled with the zip again and to his relief this time is zipped the whole way up without incident.

"Done!" He stepped out of the cubicle, trying not to fall over the long trouser legs. For a long moment Ike, looking rather comical in his reindeer outfit, simply smiled at him without speaking. Then he blinked and coughed self-consciously.

"That's, um…too big for you."

"I know." Once again his hat slipped down over his eyes, as if to prove the point. He tried to pull it up again but his long sleeves got in the way. Ike walked over to him and pulled it up for him, and suddenly Marth found himself looking straight into Ike's eyes.

"Um…" He looked away quickly, his heart pounding.

"Excuse me, do you know where the toy section is?"

Marth jumped and turned around to find a woman in a pink coat looking at him, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, I don't… One floor up."

"Thank you." She turned and walked away. Ike grinned.

"Probably thought you were a member of staff. Staff are always dressing up Christmas-themed nowadays."

"At least I still know where it was."

"Well done." Ike gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder before tilting his head to one side questioningly. "Piggy-back?"

"What?"

"You're Santa Claus, I'm a reindeer…" He shrugged. "There's no sleigh so it's perfectly logical."

Marth laughed. "You really hate shopping, don't you?"

"Any excuse to put it off." He smiled, offering Marth his back. After a short pause, Marth jumped on.

"Alright, go!"

Ike started off at a steady jog and Marth smiled happily. This was more fun that he'd had shopping for ages. Ike had always livened up his life like this. He'd only known him a year but he couldn't remember a time without him.

Ike began to run faster, turning corners alarmingly off balance and almost running into several people.

"Ike, slow down!" But he didn't really mind. He felt happy. How easy it would be to tell Ike he loved him, how completely natural and simple. And how completely impossible.

Ike began to head towards the escalators.

"No! That's not safe! You don't have any hands free!"

Ike only chuckled. There was a moment at the top when Marth feared he would fall over, and as the escalator descended he clung to Ike tightly, worried of overbalancing.

"Ike!"

Ike turned at the bottom of the escalator to the one parallel going back up to where they had come from. But instead of waiting on the step he ran to the top, leaving Marth clinging on for dear life.

"Ike! Put me down! I'm going to fall!"

"No you're not. I've got you."

"Let me down!"

"Alright…"

"No, not whilst we're still going up! Aaahhh!"

Ike laughed and put him down once they had reached the top. Marth breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were going to trip over."

"What – me? I never trip ov– oommpff." Having been looking at Marth and not watching where he was going he had promptly bumped into someone coming the other direction. His momentum cut he tripped sideways onto Marth and they both collapsed like dominoes, looking up automatically to apologise to whoever they had collided with. To his surprise it was someone they recognised.

"Link?"

"Ike."

"Sorry about that." Ike stood and helped Marth up. "Wasn't looking."

Link shrugged. Ike paused.

"How are you?"

"Fine."

"Are you Christmas shopping as well?"

"Yeah."

Marth sensed an awkwardness between them and was confused. Link had been one of Ike's old friends, he was sure.

"For your parents?" Ike persisted.

"For Zelda." Link's voice was curt, abrupt. So it wasn't just Marth's imagination. Had they fallen out? Ike looked like he couldn't think of anything else to say.

"Well I have to be off," said Link eventually.

"Right. See ya then."

"Bye Link," Marth piped.

"Bye Marth." And with that he turned and walked away.

Marth looked at Ike, who looked hurt. "Ike?"

"Come on, let's get changed out of these silly outfits."

"Are you–"

"That's two people I wasn't expecting to bump into today," Ike interrupted. Marth just smiled, deciding not to ask any more about it.

Later, once they were both changed, they agreed to split up and look for presents separately. Ike hadn't completely regained the happy tone he had had before they had bumped into Link and as Marth resumed shopping he pondered over what might have happened. Perhaps it had something to do with the little snow-fight they'd had the other day. He shrugged the thought off, assuming that the tension would soon pass, especially with the Christmas party coming up which was bound to lighten everyone's mood. He finished buying his presents and headed home.


	3. Chapter 3

The morning of Christmas Eve. Probably one of the least important mornings in the whole year, like the morning of Halloween or Bonfire Night. Everyone lying in bed, everything waiting for the evening. Then again, it could hardly be less important than any other morning in those continuous blank squares of calendar, unmarked except for the number that told of how far this particular emptiness was through the month. Marth sat up in bed and stared out the window. What did people _do_ in the mornings, really? Brush their teeth, get dressed, have breakfast? Nothing significant. And yet this nothing-time was what set up the whole day, they time when you think 'yes, a new day' or 'it's downhill from here'. And as Marth looked out the window and saw the dull grey sky he thought, _Shine, you stupid sun. Don't you know first impressions count?_

"Marth!" His sister Elisse came running into his room, interrupting his musings. "How do I look?"

_Like you've drunk too much coffee._ He could smell it on her breath. There was no other way she'd be awake this early.

"You look lovely."

"Thank you." She flounced down on the end of his bed. "I'm going to see Merric."

"_Now?_ Isn't it a bit early?"

"We're spending the day together. I'll be back by the evening."

"Right."

"Don't look sad. I've grown out of the whole family Christmas idea. Merric is my boyfriend." She looked elated. "The weather forecast says it's going to snow as well." She hugged him, beaming.

"See you later then," Marth mumbled.

"I'm sure you'll have fun without me. You can play board games with mum and dad, or sit and read one of your textbooks."

Marth blushed. It was true he liked to get ahead academically in the holidays, but he knew it wasn't what people normally did, and he should probably do something a little less constructive and a little more fun.

"Anyway, see you later bro." She left his room still smiling. She was always asking their parents if she could meet up with someone or other. Marth wondered how she got any schoolwork done.

With Elisse gone he spent most of the morning simply wondering what to do. After breakfast he got changed and sat on his bed with a book, intending to read but secretly wishing he could think of something else to do. As Elisse had predicted it had since started snowing but he didn't fancy going out in it. His parents would be going to pick up some of his mum's friends later, but until then it was just time to be killed. He checked under the bed for the presents he had bought the other day, now carefully wrapped including the coffee maker that had caused such amusement.

In the end he did read, whilst his mother downstairs prepared some of the elements for that evening's dinner, and his father spent the time on the computer in the study, doing goodness-knows-what that couldn't be interrupted. And all the while outside the snow continued to fall, heavy and fast, building up on the trees and rooftops.

It was shortly after lunch that his parents set out in the car to pick up his mum's friends, as they lived about an hour's drive away and had only a motorbike for transport, which wasn't deemed safe given the weather conditions. Marth wished his parents goodbye, and closed the front door. He was alone.

Determined not to be self-pitiful he went into the lounge and turned the radio up, losing himself in the music. But after several Christmas tunes he turned it off and opted for the television instead. There was something wrong about listening to Christmas music with no one there, no background laughter or Christmas crackers being pulled to muffle the sound.

One hour passed. Marth went into the kitchen and got himself a pack of crisps before returning to the sofa.

Another hour passed. Marth flicked from one channel to the next. There was nothing interesting on. A film he'd seen several times before was on one channel, a programme on antiques on the next, a couple moving house on the next… He gave up and watched some adverts mindlessly, expecting his parents home any minute.

A further half and hour passed and then the phone rang, just as he was beginning to worry. He rushed to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hi Marth, it's mum. It's bad news, I'm afraid. There's been an accident on the A12, news is just getting through. It's the weather, I reckon. It's going to be at least another hour by the looks of things; I don't know how bad it is. Nothing's moving."

"Oh no…"

"I'll keep you posted. Are you alright at home?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Good. Just put a film on or something and wait for us. Okay?"

"Okay mum."

"See you later. Bye."

"Bye." Marth hung up. Surely there wouldn't be much traffic on Christmas Eve? But then any traffic at all would be held up by an accident. He sat by the phone, staring at it. What was he supposed to do now? The TV hummed in the background, the obvious solution. He sighed. It just didn't feel like Christmas. Of course, he only had to wait for his parents or sister to come back, and failing that the Christmas party was only tomorrow. But right now it felt like weeks away. He felt lonely.

He stared at the phone, willing it to ring. It didn't, of course. Marth supposed even salespeople got Christmas Eve off. He picked up the phone and listened to the dull, expectant tone. There was a number that he knew off by heart that he could call, but did he have a reason to? He hesitated a moment. But why not? There was no harm in just a quick call to wish Ike merry Christmas. He dialled. The phone rang a long time, and he almost hung up. But after each ring he felt sure that Ike would answer. He didn't. The dull voice of the answering machine disappointed him more than he dared to admit. Ike hadn't even personalised his voicemail.

_Please leave a message after the tone._

The flat single note that signalled for him to speak almost took him by surprise. He hadn't thought about what to say. Should he leave a message? Was there a point? He was seeing Ike tomorrow. But Ike would see that he had called; he might think there was something wrong. No, he ought to leave a message. He opened his mouth to speak but suddenly his breath hitched, and fearing that he was about to cry he hung up. The tears never came. Marth swallowed and stared at the phone. So now he'd left one of those weird silent messages. Great. But what could he do – call Ike again? And what if it was the answering machine again?

He went back into the lounge to watch more television. He needed to think of an excuse for why he had left a random blank message on Ike's answerphone. Perhaps he had been distracted? But by what? No, best to keep it as simple as possible. He'd simply dialled and…zoned out. That would do. Dialled and zoned out, forgotten what he was doing, didn't realise it had gone through to answerphone etcetera. That would sort it. Now he was just back to his original problem of trying to find something interesting to watch on TV.

Another ten minutes passed. Marth was playing toss with the remote control when the phone rang. He went to answer it, hoping his mum was ring to tell him the accident had been cleared and they were on their way.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Marth?"

"Oh, Ike!"

"You called a couple of minutes ago. Sorry I missed it; my relatives are making a racket."

"Ok." Marth smiled. He could hear them chatting in the background.

"Was there any reason you called?"

"Oh, no, not really. Just…felt like it." He blushed and was glad Ike couldn't see him.

"Are you having fun at home then?" Ike asked.

"My sister's gone out with her boyfriend and my parents went to pick up some friends but there's been an accident and apparently there's going to be quite a delay. So at the moment it's just me."

"Oh right, yeah I think I heard something about an accident on the radio. Hang on – they're not on the A12, are they?"

"Yes…"

"That's pretty bad. I don't know a lot, but I think a lot of cars were involved."

"Oh…"

"Sorry Marth, you might be waiting a while."

"I guess I'll put a film on or something."

"Probably a good idea." He paused. "I only live a couple of minutes away – do you want me to come over for a bit?"

"Um…" Marth wanted to say yes but felt embarrassed at the idea of needing the company, especially when he'd seen Ike yesterday and the day before and was going to see him tomorrow.

"I'm okay," he said at last. "I wouldn't want to take you away from your relatives on Christmas Eve."

"Oh they wouldn't mind. Are you sure?"

"Um…" _Don't ask me that. Why did you ask me that? Of course I'm not sure._ "I don't…know." _Marth, get a grip._

On the other end of the line, Ike laughed. "Should I take that as a yes?"

_Yes. No. Yes._ _Answer, Marth._ "Ok…"

"I'll be only a few minutes. See you in a bit." Ike hung up and after a pause so did Marth. He felt happy. Happy, and nervous.

* * *

After Ike had hung up he raced to get his jacket so that he could go. He was _fairly_ sure his parents would be okay with it… Rushing, he pulled on socks and shoes and rummaged in his pocket for his set of house keys.

"Ike, where are you going?" His mum.

"I'm going to go to Marth's for a bit." He crossed his fingers inside his pocket.

"What on earth for?"

"I won't be long."

"But why are you going?"

He paused with his hand on the door. "Because it's Christmas Eve and he's home alone."

* * *

Marth checked his hair in the mirror for the fifth time. Yes, it was fine. But did he want it to be fine? What if it looked like he had done it up just for Ike? He hadn't _really_, but he _did_ want to look nice… _Oh blast, it's just hair._ The doorbell rang.

"Ike!"

"Hi Marth. Nice hair."

"Thanks." He blushed and stepped back to let Ike in. Ike passed him a misshapen bundle of tin foil.

"Some of my mum's homemade mince pies. She insisted when I told her you were home alone," Ike explained.

"Oh, wow. Thank you."

Ike smiled and took off his coat and shoes. Even though he only lived around twenty minutes' walk away his hair was already covered in a fine layer of snow. He shook it off as a dog might, and it fluttered down around him.

"So," he said. "What do you fancy doing?"

In the end they sat on the sofa with the TV in the background and talked and ate mince pies. Marth quickly forgot that he had ever been alone at all. And as a lull was reached and Marth went to fetch some drinks it occurred to him that yet again he was alone with Ike. He could tell him now. Why not? It wasn't going to get any easier if he left it until the Christmas part; that was just a deadline he'd set himself. He reached for the lemonade and poured out two glasses, his hands unsteady.

"Have you got any crisps?" Ike asked, appearing in the kitchen behind him.

"Yes, there's some in there." Marth pointed to the relevant cupboard.

"Great. I have a craving for something salty." He peered into the cupboard and rummaged around for a moment. "Hey, you have the ones shaped like teddies. Cute."

"Yeah…"

"Awesome. I love them."

Marth smiled. _Say it. He won't judge you._ He hadn't teased him about the teddy-shaped crisps, anyhow…

They returned to the lounge again and Ike wandered over to the window to watch the snow falling. It was already quite thick in the garden, and the sky looked like it had several more inches to give yet. Marth turned the television off and joined Ike by the window to watch the blizzard of swirling white outside.

"It's always better to watch from indoor, in the warm," Ike commented. "All we need now is some appropriately wintry music in the background."

"Like what?"

"I dunno." Ike turned and flicked on the radio as if for inspiration. There was nothing wintry or enchanting about the tune that played though – it was a standard Christmas jingle. Ike laughed. "I suppose that'll do." He began to dance in time to the music, taking Marth by the wrists and trying to persuade him to join in.

"I can't dance!" Marth protested.

"Come on – have you never been to a disco?"

"Well…"

"No one really dances at discos – just twist a bit and raise your hands."

Marth felt self-conscious and pulled away a little, unwilling. But Ike only danced closer and began to move his hands for him until Marth gave in and danced, growing more confident towards the end of the song. As the tune died Ike stopped and smiled.

"See, it wasn't that bad. I'm sure girls wouldn't say no if you asked them to dance."

_I wouldn't ask a girl to dance. I'm gay. _The sudden surge of adrenalin instantly restricted Marth's breathing. _Tell him. Now._ But he could already feel himself chickening out, even as his intentions banged angrily at the inside of his skull. He stayed quiet, forcing a smile.

"Thanks for coming over," he said quietly.

"That's okay." Ike smiled. On a sudden impulse, Marth hugged him. Ike hugged him back. It was slightly too close for a casual hug but it wouldn't have been a problem if it had been brief. But the moment stretched, neither of them letting go. Stretched on too long then, to be broken without awkwardness. They were pressed against each other warmly, chest to chest, knees touching. Marth didn't want to let go. But knowing he had to he loosened his hold marginally, waiting for Ike's response. Ike remained how he was. And as yet more seconds crawled by he felt Ike lower his head a little so that his cheek passed over Marth's until it was resting in the curve of his neck. And Marth fancied he felt, although he couldn't see, Ike's lips press gently against his skin, as if in a kiss. _Was it possible?_ He felt a rush of heat and knew he couldn't maintain the hug, or else he would surely implode with this sudden passion. _Was it possible that Ike liked him too?_

Gently he pulled away, aware that every part of him Ike had touched noticed the absence. He struggled to control his feelings. He would give himself away. Gladly. But he mustn't, not now. The Christmas party, he would say it then. It would be fantastic. _Ike liked him too!_

"Sorry, excuse me a minute." It took effort to keep his voice even. A deep joy bubbled inside him; he had to leave the room before he exploded with it. He was blushing, he knew he was blushing. But did it matter? _Ike liked him too!_

He closed the lounge door quietly behind him and took a few steps away. Then unable to suppress his happiness any longer he jumped up and down and punched the air, grinning. _Yes! YES!_


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Thank you to all readers/reviews! Well, here's the final chapter. (Squilf is trying to persuade me to do yet a bit more fluff to finish, but we'll see... )

* * *

Christmas Day, and as Murphy would have it, a bad hair day. Marth looked at the half-awake, bedraggled creature in the mirror, and was glad that he'd woken up early in anticipation of this very problem.

Staggering downstairs he poured himself a glass of tomato juice and flung himself inelegantly backwards over the arm of the sofa to land in a heap amongst the cushions, miraculously not spilling any juice. It was a move he'd practised before.

"Elisse, leave my hairbrush alone!" he yelled peremptorily.

"I haven't taken it!" came the irritated reply.

"You were going to!"

"It's softer than mine!" she whined.

"You _need_ a harsher brush! Your hair is thicker than mine!"

There was a long silence.

"Elisse?" He took another sip of his tomato juice. She'd better not use his hairbrush. As he finished his glass he began to get paranoid. He'd bought that hairbrush as a treat for himself a little while ago; it had a lovely engraved bird pattern on the back of the wooden handle. Putting the glass to one side he headed back upstairs. He needed to find something nice-looking but casual to wear for the party. He browsed through his wardrobe. Too big, too itchy, too wintry, to bright, too last season…

"Argh!"

"What is it?" Elisse poked her head around the corner into his room, holding his brush in one hand. Marth glared at her.

"That's my brush!"

"I'm just borrowing it–"

"I need it for my hair–"

"Not yet you haven't taken a shower–"

"It's mine!"

"It's just a hairbrush!"

Marth frowned. "You can borrow it if I can have your scarf."

"What?"

"The purple one with the stripes."

"No that's my favour–"

"That's _my_ favourite hairb–"

"It's mine!"

"It's just a scarf!"

"Argh!" Elisse grabbed one of the pillows off his bed and thumped him with it. Marth jumped.

"Oi!"

"You silly, self-conscious twirp!"

"You thief!" Marth grabbed another pillow and thumped her back.

"Vain idiot!"

"Skiver!"

"Gay-boy!"

Marth froze. "What?"

Elisse landed a full blow to his face and sent him tumbling back onto the bed. Sighing, she threw the pillow to one side.

"Right. Fine. You can borrow the scarf."

"No, what did you say before that?"

"Huh?" She frowned, still recovering her breath. "I didn't say anything." Marth waited. Her eyes widened a little.

"Oh," she mouthed.

Marth swallowed, stunned. He hadn't told anyone.

"Do you mean the 'gay-boy' thing? I didn't mean to use it as an insult, I'm sorry. It was more of a…statement. You're not that offended, are you?"

"Er…"

"I know we've never really discussed it, but I didn't know if it was a sensitive subject. I've known ages." She shrugged casually.

Marth swallowed. "But…I…How did you know?"

"Marth, we were just arguing over a _hairbrush._"

Marth fell silent.

"Marth?"

"Do mum and dad know?" he asked at last.

"Nope, they're completely oblivious. Mum just thinks of you as a daughter I reckon, and dad is either ignoring it or just completely clueless." She smiled gently and sat down on the bed next to him.

Marth looked at her with big eyes. He'd wanted Ike to be the first to know, but Elisse had already worked it out.

"Would you like me to brush your hair for you?" Elisse offered, by means of an apology.

Marth nodded.

She helped him lay out his favourite outfits on the bed, and then sat him down and brushed his hair patiently as he fretted over which one to wear.

"Honestly," she commented at frequent intervals, "I don't think it matters."

Marth wasn't really listening to her. Normally he would be inclined to agree, but somehow each time he thought he'd settled for wearing one thing he would get paranoid again and choose another, only to wonder if the previous one had been better after all… It was Ike's fault, he knew it. Normally he wouldn't be half so bothered about how he looked. He could pinpoint its beginnings to the time last night when he had fussed over his hair waiting for Ike to arrive. When had his undying friendship for Ike evolved into an undying crush? And why did that make him so self-conscious? He knew that when his crush had been new and unsteady and more manageable, that was when he'd first considered telling Ike he was gay. Before any rumours could even _think_ of starting. Before simply confessing his orientation got confused with confessing rather more…

"Marth?" Elisse prompted.

"Yes?"

"You've gone quiet."

_But it didn't matter – Ike liked him too!_ The sudden remembrance made him smile.

"Oh, nothing. What do you think to the faded blue jeans, paisley pattered belt and soft turquoise top?"

Elisse sighed.

The party was to start at 6pm, and with hours of afternoon left to fret in Marth settled in to finish remaining bits of homework, only to find he'd finished it all already. It was perhaps the first time he wished he _wasn't_ so organised. He reached for his copy of Wuthering Heights and began to read that instead, but his mind strayed repeatedly back to the party. It was to be held at a Spanish restaurant owned by Roy's father, who was opening the restaurant exclusively for the party as nowhere else would be open on Christmas day. Several mothers of those attending would be responsible for the food, a large mixed buffet that Marth was looking forward to. And it even had a balcony, a small one that looked out onto the streets at the back. It wasn't much of view from there, but Marth found the idea romantic. At night, when only the odd lamplight was visible amongst the dark shapes of the buildings and streets made softer by the dimming light, alone with Ike…

_Woah._ Since when had things got that far? Marth gave himself a mental shake. It was going to be a great party, that was all.

His mother gave him a lift to the restaurant when it was time. The building had an impressive front, painted in warm, inviting colours. Through the windows he could already see people meeting and talking, laughing and passing drinks. He wondered if Ike had arrived yet. He struggled embarrassingly for a moment with the heavy door, but Peach opened it from the other side with a grin and he stumbled inside.

"Hi Marth."

"Hi."

"Doesn't this place look lovely?"

It did. The lighting that had looked so inviting from outside enveloped him now that he was in its midst, welcoming him. There was a long table in the centre of the room ready for the buffet later but currently only bearing a large bowl of fruit which hadn't been touched.

"Hey, I've got some gossip for you." Peach nudged him. "Apparently Zelda isn't too pleased with Link."

"Oh really?" Marth replied automatically, his eyes scanning around for Ike.

"Yes. She says he hasn't been very happy recently and she's been trying everything to cheer him up."

"Uh-huh." He wasn't really listening. Where was Ike?

"Yeah." She glanced around. "Hey, Zelda!"

As Zelda made her way over Marth finally caught sight of Ike near the edges of the room by himself, looking around as if for someone to talk to. He turned and began to walk towards him when his progress was interrupted by Roy, who appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey Marth." Roy grinned. "Glad you could make it. Great snowball fight the other day, wasn't it?"

Marth nodded.

"It's all melted now though."

"There might be more," Marth muttered, trying to see over his shoulder as Ike slipped out of sight.

Roy, noting his distraction, commented, "I think almost everyone's here now."

"Yes." Where had Ike vanished to?

"Marth, what do you think of this top?" Zelda whined nervously, tugging on Marth's shoulder.

"Lovely…" He wanted to find Ike, and knew that he would be sparking a long discussion, but couldn't resist asking, "Where did you get it?"

"Well…"

The conversation went on even longer than expected. Some of the fruit on the table had actually been eaten by the time they had finished discussing the ridiculous prices at Debenhams, and there was an increasing rumour that the full buffet would be ready shortly. Marth, still unable to find Ike, resigned himself to talking to Zelda, and shortly after, Link. He remembered Peach's comment from earlier that apparently Link wasn't his normal chirpy self, but he seemed fine when Marth talked to him. The time passed, the buffet was laid, the food eaten. For a long time there was no sign of Ike and Marth assumed that he must have been caught up in conversation upstairs. When Ike finally appeared he remained at the opposite end of the buffet table with Mario and Luigi. Roy and Link distracted Marth from going over to talk to him. Increasingly frustrated Marth ate his food quickly and then followed Ike as he headed back upstairs. But as he was about to call out the simple beauty of the space he had just stepped into distracted him.

Candles, both as tall candlesticks and simple tea lights, were dotted around the edges of the room on small tables. Beautiful drapes of different coloured materials hung across the walls, giving the place a cosy, romantic feel. Or might have done. The lively chatter reduced it down to simply a nice ambience, and one mother stood in the corner watching carefully to make sure that the candles didn't start any fires. At the far end of the room glass doors opened out onto a tiny balcony, and it was there Ike headed, pausing and leaning over the railing thoughtfully. Marth advanced towards him but as he drew closer he hesitated, suddenly taken with nerves.  
"Marth? Where are you going?"

Marth turned around and saw Link watching him curiously.

"I was just going to talk to Ike."

Link looked towards the balcony and on seeing Ike paused, a mixed expression passing over his face before he looked away.

"Why don't you come back downstairs? There might be deserts."

"No it's okay, I'll see you in a…" he trailed off as he spotted MetaKnight heading towards Ike, taking his chance away. He sighed.

"I think they have profiteroles," Link added, oblivious. Marth nodded, and turned to follow Link back downstairs. He would have to catch Ike later.

* * *

"Hello."

Ike turned around. "Hi Meta."

"What are you doing out here on your own?"

"Thinking." He sighed.

"Is it about Marth?"

His fingers entwined nervously over the railing, the thumbs tapping alternately on top.

"You should tell him," MetaKnight advised.

Ike shook his head. "I can't."

"He's your closest friend."

"Which is precisely _why_ I can't." He stared down at the street below, feeling MetaKnight watching him.

"You remember what happened with Link," he muttered. "I told him I was gay and he just flipped out, like I was some sort of freak, or diseased or something."

"Marth will be different."

"Oh how do you know?" Ike spat, tense. "What good will it do me to tell him? He doesn't feel the same."

"What evidence do you have for that?" MetaKnight persisted calmly.

Ike hesitated. "There was a snowball fight a few days ago and he got pelted really badly. He was soaked and shivering but when I rubbed his arms to warm them he pulled away."

MetaKnight was silent.

"And then last night he was home alone because his parents got stuck out in the snow. I asked him if he wanted me to come over… though maybe I pushed the idea too hard…"

MetaKnight remained quiet, his eyes thoughtful.

"I thought it was okay at the time," Ike added helplessly. "At the end of the evening he hugged me and I hugged him back… I don't know what I was thinking… I didn't let go…"

MetaKnight's expression was sympathetic. "Marth wanted have wanted it too though if he hugged you first," he pointed out.

"He pulled away," Ike whispered.

There was a long pause.

MetaKnight shifted where he stood. "There's no reason why you can't go on as you were bef–"

"You don't understand!" Ike exclaimed passionately, clenching his fists. "You don't know… You don't know how close I was to –"

"Marth!" MetaKnight interrupted suddenly, both a greeting and a warning. Ike whirled around, freezing as he caught sight of the very person he had been discussing rapidly drawing within earshot. Marth smiled at him. Not knowing quite how to recover himself Ike stepped past him, turned abruptly and headed down the stairs.

* * *

Marth watched as Ike turned and walked away and looked to MetaKnight in bewilderment.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine," MetaKnight reassured him.

"But…" He gestured weakly at Ike's retreating figure.

"Don't worry."

"What were you two talking about?"

"He'll tell you later," MetaKnight replied in an odd tone, which made Marth unsure if he would ever know at all. He joined MetaKnight on the balcony and looked out onto the street below. His optimism was fading worryingly. He hadn't been able to speak to Ike yet this evening, and now Ike had just avoided talking to him for some unknown reason. Maybe he wouldn't be able to talk to Ike about it tonight after all. After a while he felt MetaKnight's hand briefly tap his shoulder, and then heard his footsteps fading away. MetaKnight had always been more Ike's friend than his. He sighed. It looked like he had cut off his conversation with Link for nothing. He wandered back towards the stairs. On the top railing a few red balloons were tied, and on an impulse to cheer himself up he untied one and fiddled with the string absent-mindedly. He waited there at the top of the stairs, not knowing quite what to do with himself. Below the voices of people talking rose up to meet him, but not the people themselves. He felt strangely alone.

He lingered, dangling one arm over the rail, hoping for Ike to come back. At length he saw Ike's figure at the base of the stairs and quickly stepped out of view, fidgeting. A few moments later Ike began to come back up the stairs. Marth turned on the spot where he was, wanting for some ridiculous reason to hide but not knowing where to go. Ike stepped out in front of him.

"Sorry for um…vanishing just then."

"That's ok."

There was a short pause.

"Shall we, er… move? We're blocking the stairwell."

"Oh, right." Marth stood where he was, his brain failing to process the information. Ike gently took hold of his upper arms and manoeuvred him slowly backwards. It was a sort of dance, with only one synchronised move, but Marth still managed to stand on Ike's toes. Ike grinned at him as he let go.

"Sorry," Marth mumbled. "I wasn't thinking." He was so close to Ike… He wanted Ike to hold him as he had the night before, hold him close in the way that made him feel like he would never be truly alone again. Only after several moments did he realise one of his feet was still on top of Ike's, and he hadn't moved at all since Ike had let him go. Embarrassed he took a few small steps back, but then suddenly –

_BANG!_

Marth yelped and leaped back against Ike before his brain could register that his balloon had moved back over one of the candles, and subsequently burst. Ike jumped briefly too at the unexpected contact, and grabbed hold of Marth reflexively. As they relaxed there was a brief pause which for a moment seemed to extend, and might have extended further, but for different reasons they separated, awkward. Ike looked down at his feet.

"It was MetaKnight, actually, that sent me back up here. He pointed out we hadn't talked all evening."

Marth nodded. "Yeah…" _So you didn't come back upstairs of your own accord, then._ But he was here now.

"Shall we go out onto the balcony?" Marth suggested.

Ike shrugged. "I'd rather not. It's freezing out there."

So it wouldn't be the perfect setting. But he still wanted to say it, and perhaps it would be better to stay inside in the warm where he wouldn't add shivering to his shaking.

"Thank you for coming around last night," he began.

"That's okay." Ike shrugged again. "I just didn't want you to spend Christmas Eve on your own."

"It was great." Marth took a deep breath. And then another. "W-w…W-w-w…W…" His voice seemed to have seized up with nerves. '_When', for God's sake._ Marth frowned, irritated with himself for feeling so jittery, and being unable to speak when it mattered most. _Deep breath. Just skip to the next word._

"W-we…" _Yes, come on Marth._ "You know… hugged for ages –"

"I didn't mean anything by it," Ike rushed suddenly, interrupting him.

Marth froze, stunned. As the words sunk in he felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ike must have realised how Marth had reacted to his embrace, and now he was making clear that he hadn't meant anything by returning Marth's hug. He had just been being nice.

"W-well…" Marth stammered. Why did he feel so disappointed? He'd got it wrong, that was all. He'd still wanted to tell Ike he was gay before last night. But secretly, he'd hoped so much…

Ike was looking away, his expression blank. He looked like he wanted to walk away again. Marth felt inclined to let him go. He didn't want to tell him anymore. There was no reason to fuss about him being the first to know, as Elisse already did. As for it being the Christmas party, it was only a false deadline…

"Did you finish the mince pies?" Ike asked.

"Huh? Oh – yes. Say thanks to your mum," Marth mumbled. He was lost as to what to say now. As he lingered, trying to save the conversation, Ike turned and slowly headed back towards the stairs, about to leave him again. But as he reached top of the stairs he seemed to stall, and turned back towards Marth. Their eyes met, and Ike looked quickly away. He half-turned back towards the stairs, his right foot moving out to take the first step down, but again he hesitated, somehow torn.

"We've…been close friends a while, haven't we?" he asked in an odd tone.

"Yes," Marth replied, confused.

Ike shifted where he stood, as if he didn't know how to go on.

"And that's…fine," he added oddly.

"Yes," Marth said again. Was Ike going to say that he'd noticed Marth's attention towards him? That he'd noticed the _nature_ of Marth's attention? Ike went quiet, as if he might be leaving it there. Marth felt like crying. It was fine to be friends, but nothing more…

"But I wanted you to know…" Ike started.

Marth couldn't meet his eye. He didn't want to hear it…

"I'm gay," Ike finished.

Marth's eyes widened. "What?"

Ike's expression darkened, as if he had retreated into himself. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak, then changed his mind and disappeared downstairs.

Marth's heart began to beat furiously inside his chest like an electrocuted metronome.

"Wait," he mouthed breathless. And then stronger, "WAIT!"

He rushed after Ike, turning down the stairs and dashing into the room. It seemed Ike had vanished into the crowd.

"Ike!"

There was no response. No, Ike couldn't just leave like this – what was he thinking? He had to talk to him!

"IKE!" He yelled louder, drawing the attention of several people and holding it as he pushed past them, scanning around fervently.

"IKE! IKE!"

Finally he caught sight of him.

"IKE!"

Ike was ignoring him, but soon he was too close for Ike to pretend he wasn't there.

"IKE!"

Almost everyone was looking at him now. Ike slowly turned around, his expression dark and guarded.

"Are you really gay?"

Colour rose in Ike's cheeks and his eyes flicked first to the left and then the right of Marth. Marth, following his gaze, saw Link and MetaKnight respectively, but paid them no attention. Right now, Ike was the only person that mattered. Ike bit his lip and half-smiled self-deprecatingly, as if unable to believe he was going to answer this.

"Yes," he said in a low voice.

It was Marth's turn to blush. "Me too."

The words seemed to have struck Ike a physical blow. Shocked, doubtful, relieved – each expression flicked over his face in quick succession, conflicting. They watched each other, neither knowing how to continue. The rest of the room watched them. Slowly Ike's previous guardedness seemed to slip away; his posture changed subtly to become more attentive.

"You…"

Marth managed a weak smile.

"I thought…"

"Does this mean…" Marth whispered, barely audible.

Suddenly, shakily, Ike grinned. "There's no one else."

A hot shiver ran through him. "Ike…" With a sudden tremble in his legs he stumbled the few steps over to Ike, seized him around the neck and kissed him. Ike kissed him back passionately, blissfully.

In some part of his mind Marth was aware of the sound of MetaKnight clapping.


End file.
